The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-20

FROM Tue NeW YORK f1efdtQ.
IF l get too many Christmas presents
this year | shall be ruined"
The reporter glanced up quickly and in.
terrogatively at his friend
mo; you didn't misunderstood me. |
mean just what | said If my rich friends
send me a lot of handsome presents, as they
did last year, Imay as well go into bank
ruptcy."
There was an air of trouble and perplexity
upon the speakers face that was unques-
tionably genuine
Pm not sure that quite catch on" said
the reporter.
You don't quite see how a man may be
pecuniarily embarrassed by having hand
some and costly gifts showered upon him.
You'd like to know how he may be driven
to the verge of starvation by too much
wealth; how his wife and little ones may be
robbed of the clothes upon their backs and
the whole family beggared by a pouring out
ehf
''SSee here; do you remember when you
and were at school that there was some
thing or other in our Greek mythology
about girl named Danae. who was loved
by Jupiter, and who was smothered by
shower of gold which the god caused to de-
scend upon her; sort of killed by Kindness
as it were. Well, the circumstances are
not exactly parallel, but in me you behold
sort of male Danae. Oh, you needn't laugh.
It's a pathetic and tragic business. Ny son,
4 could tale unfold that would freeze thy
young blood, and make each separate and
particular hair to stand on end like quilts
upon the fretful porcupine,
you, see, it's like this:
MY wife has score or so of disguStingly
wealthy relatives-aunts and uncles and
cousins. And as they think all the world of
Nellie, every Christmas they send her and
me and our two boys q lot of Christmas
presents. Some of the gifts are sure to be
very handsome and costly.
For instance, last year Uncle John-a
sinfully rich lard broker. bachelor, and as
jolly an old boy as you ever met in your
life-gave Nellie a gold-mounted opera
glass and me diamond scarf pin, to say
nothing of a 15-year size toboggan which
he sent to our little 3-year-old Ned, and
which-the toboggan, mean-is SO big that
it won't go into our commodious ~ Harlem
fat, and I've had to send it to be stored at
81 a month.
'Now, Nellie is the dearest little woman
in the world, but she has no more idea of
the value of money than a HoUtentot, and
she hasn't the faintest conce ,Gion of the
tremendous difference between my income
and that Of her Uncle John, who makes as
much in single days commissions on the
Produce Exchange as her hubby makes in a
whole months drudgery as a clerk in an
insurance Office. And SO, as Nellie hasn't
any money, she makes it up in pride, and
as dear Uncle John gave her that opera
glass and me the diamond pin, why, nothing
would suit her kind little heart, OVERLOOKING
with gratitude, to Uncle Johr-I thind it
was the big toboggan for little Ned that
fetched her-but must make Uncle John
"a real handsome present ! wanted her to
l. -.Nf
at me very reproachfully and said: Why,
Charley, I'm ashamed of your So she
bought him an ox.dized silver smoking set
the old boys great srnoker-that cost $50,
and, of course, / had to grin and bear it, as
] thought to myself, There goes four tons
of COAL
Then there was Aunt Maria-dearest
old maiden lady in the world-owns rows
and rows of houses up town, and nothing
to do with her money except act as sort Of
gilt-edged Santa Claus to her young rela-
tives every Christmas. She gave Nellie a
Tiffany fan of marabout feathers, and a
gold-handled umbrella to yours truly, to
say nothing of lot of costly mechanical
toys to the children-things that you wind
up and then let EN- go humping into the
furniture. knocking dents into the piano
legs, and so on.
''Of course after that, according to Nell
lies notions, the three-dollar Christmas
card which | had saved up to buy for the
old lady, and which had mailed to her the
day before, wasn't anything like an appro-
pirate return. SO had TO give the dear old
thing my new winter overcoat"
''Whatp asked the reporter
"Well, / mean ] had to take the money I
had put aside for new coat to buy that
fichu, ] believe Nellie called it, a ragged
looking, dirty yellow arrangement that you
or would appraise at about BIC, but which
Nellie enthusiastically said was real some
thing-cr-other lace, and was perfectly lovely.
ITO reciprocate in kind for Cousin Mary's
and Aunt Louisas presents took Nellie's
new dress; but she's such a generous and
proud little thing that she let on she didn't
mind it. had hard work TO prevent the
new shoes and stockings that the boys had
to have from going along with the rest.
But managed to save them by simply shut
ting down and telling Nellie that Just
couldn't stand it. She was greatly morti-
fed, poor girl. because she couldn't send
anything nicer than morocco and gilt
prayer-book to Cousin Hattie, and briar-
wood pipe to her brother Tom.
What with the malaria we have all had
this winter, because of the sanitary plumb
ing in our flats, have had big doctors and
druggists bills to pay, and haven't been
able to save much for Christmas And as
] have heard mysterious hints that Aunt
tudlld anu OHCle JOuAl die gong 10 S6DO us
some particularly handsome presents this
year, / am looking forward to Christmas
with the resignation of despair"
And the unhappy man slowly entered the
pffice of the n-Combustible Fire Insur-
ance Company like one who saw nothing in
prospect but bankruptcy and ruin.
There are good many women like Nelly
and good many husbands like Charley in
this big city, as the reporter soon found out
by joining the throngs of Christmas shop
pers at three or four of the great stores
where beautiful and costly objects are sold
At one big establishment where the
diamonds in a single case were worth
kings ransom many people who, by their
aress and manner, were undoubtedly of
very moderate means mingled with million
aires and their wives and daughters, and
leenled equally bent on spending their
money lavishly on expensive tIifes.
1T isn't for.me to say" said a salesman
with whom the reporter had established
confidential relations, "but ] could tell you
Iome queer things / have seen in the way of
extravagant purchases by people who can't
afford Injuries. OF course, our regular
customers are nearly all people of wealth,
but just about this time every year we have
. class of purchasers that are never seen
here at any other time. We know them to
be of very moderate means-sometimes
they are really very poor-but they are
always gentlefolks and chock full of pride;
and from uride or some other reason thew